


Nail Polish

by asexualjuliet



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Gen, Nail Polish, Steve Harrington is a Damn Good Babysitter, Will Byers is a sweetheart, i’m soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-03
Updated: 2019-11-03
Packaged: 2021-01-21 05:48:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21294566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asexualjuliet/pseuds/asexualjuliet
Summary: “Boys can wear nail polish?” Will asks quietly, looking at Steve with big brown eyes.Steve laughs. “I mean, I’m not exactly rocking the look, but obviously, boys can wear nail polish. You’re not gonna, like, die if you put it on.”
Relationships: Will Byers & Steve Harrington
Comments: 24
Kudos: 242





	Nail Polish

**Author's Note:**

  * For [broadway_hufflepuff](https://archiveofourown.org/users/broadway_hufflepuff/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Varnish](https://archiveofourown.org/works/12927249) by [7devils](https://archiveofourown.org/users/7devils/pseuds/7devils). 

> A week ago, I sent a text to broadway_hufflepuff saying “HOLY CRAP I JUST CAME UP WITH A CONCEPT,,, ERICA PAINTING STEVE’S NAILS” and honestly, I just winged it from there.
> 
> Inspired by “Varnish” by 7devils because it’s the cutest goddamn thing I’ve ever read, and Will liking nail polish is a blessed concept.

Steve can’t say no to one of his kids. 

Which is why he’s currently sitting at the Sinclair’s kitchen table, holding out his fingernails for Erica to paint. 

“What color do you want?” She asks. 

“Is _ none _ an option?” Steve asks, rolling his eyes. 

Erica glares. For a ten year old, the girl’s pretty intimidating. 

“Blue,” Steve decides eventually, giving in. 

Erica smiles. “Get ready, Harrington, you’re gonna look fabulous.”

-

Fabulous isn’t the word Steve would use, but Erica’s so damn happy that he can’t complain. 

(It’s only when he gets home that he realizes that he doesn’t know how to take off nail polish).

-

After not being able to scrape Erica’s blue nail polish off and eventually saying _ screw it, _Steve heads to the Byers’ house for his second babysitting job of the day. 

Joyce greets him at the door. “Oh, thank you so much, honey, you know I wouldn’t ask you if I had any other choice—”

“It’s okay,” says Steve. “Really, your kid’s the coolest one out of all of those nerds.”

Joyce smiles. “Will!” she calls, “Steve’s here!”

Will’s quick to make his way to the front door, coming to a stop in front of his mother. “Hi, Steve!” he says. “Bye, mom.”

“I love you, baby,” Joyce says, kissing the top of Will’s head. 

Will is the only one of the kids who doesn’t respond with an embarrassed _ “Mom!” _when his mother does this. Instead, he gives a soft “I love you, too,” and watches his mother walk out the door. 

“Hey,” Steve says, nudging the kid’s shoulder. “You got any homework to do or do you wanna draw?” 

(Time spent with Will is almost never spontaneous. The kid has a system and he sticks to it).

“I did all my homework,” Will smiles, leading Steve to the kitchen table and taking out a piece of white printer paper and a pencil. 

Steve sits down at the table and stares out a window, and it’s only a few minutes later that he catches Will staring at his hands instead of drawing. 

“Earth to Will,” he says, waving a hand in front of the kid’s face. “You good?”

“Are you wearing nail polish?” Will blurts out, blushing a little, and Steve looks down at his hands. 

The kid raises a good point. Steve is, indeed, wearing nail polish. 

“Oh, yeah,” he says, “Lucas can be quoted as threatening to ‘come after Erica with his wrist rocket if she even comes near him with that shit,’ so I’m her latest victim.”

“Boys can wear nail polish?” Will asks quietly, looking at Steve with big brown eyes. 

Steve laughs. “I mean, I’m not exactly rocking the look, but obviously, boys _can_ wear nail polish. You’re not gonna, like, _die_ if you put it on.”

Will seems lost in thought, and Steve gently asks, “Do you want to wear some?”

Will goes red, and Steve continues. “‘Cause I’ll paint them right now, but I’m gonna warn you, I might suck.”

It’s like Will’s entire face lights up at Steve’s words. 

“Really?” He says, wide-eyed, and Steve nods.

“Yeah, kid. Where’s your mom keep her makeup and shit?”

Will goes to get said “makeup and shit,” and is back in a matter of seconds, placing a box of colors on the kitchen table. 

The look on Will’s face as he looks through the box is one Steve wishes he had a picture of, ‘cause the kid’s so damn happy that Steve can’t help but smile. 

“Can we do this one?” Will asks softly, holding out a bottle of baby blue polish. 

“Sure,” says Steve, and he sits down to paint the kid’s nails. 

Steve’s never been much of an artist, and he was never one for coloring inside the lines, so all things considered, he thinks he does a pretty good job on Will’s nails. 

The kid seems to think so, too. 

He can’t stop smiling at the colors on his hand. “Pretty,” he murmurs to himself, and then looks up at Steve. “Thanks, Steve.” 

His smile is more real than Steve’s ever seen it, and Steve can’t help but smile back. “No problem, kid.”

Will smiles even wider and gives Steve a hug. Steve hugs back. 

He can tell this is happier than Will’s been in a long time.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!
> 
> All mistakes are my own, please let me know if you see any!
> 
> Kudos/Comments are greatly appreciated!


End file.
